Fallout 4 One Shots

In the Blood || Maxson

"Sometimes I wonder if my blood is cursed" muttered the Elder you'd gotten to know and love. He stood with his back facing you, his gaze drawn to the dark Commonwealth below. The two of you had lost track of time but you were sure it was well past 2am. The lights of the airport combined with those of small raider and mutant settlements depicted a poor comparison to the downtown you knew 200 years ago. The downtown that glowed with life.

"All my life" confided Arthur "I've thought I was doing the right thing but maybe..." his voice trailed off into nothingness. You were shocked to hear such doubts from the man you always knew as being so certain. It wasn't like him to question his own motives, or the possibility of his own lineage being corrupt. It took awhile, but part of you had started to appreciate how sure he always was of his words and actions regardless of whether or not you agreed with him. Everything in your life felt messy and chaotic. Order was entirely unobtainable for you. A solid argument could be made that Maxson led a chaotic life as well, he certainly did, but he always kept a grasp on order. He actually thrived on organization.

His eyes were sad tonight. When you first reached the deck around 12 you could tell something was bothering him. Unsure of what, but sure you'd not be able to help, you shifted all conversations towards trivial topics. This was something you'd learned to do when he was stressed. In the beginning you'd try to understand what was so bothersome about messed up maintenance reports or faulty medical leave papers, but it all went over your head, and frankly it was quite boring. It became your routine to result to gossip when Arthur was stressed. He would never admit it, but sometimes talking like a "civilian" helped calm him down. Except it didn't work tonight. You started off by venting about Piper's insatiable need to stop you every 10 minutes to interview random settlers—but you couldn't keep Arthur engaged in the conversation. First it got awkward, then all roads led to his subtle confession. "I've thought I was doing the right thing but maybe..." Had he have finished his sentence you knew it would've been a "but maybe not". His words struck you as an admittance on Arthur's behalf that perhaps he'd been doing things wrong, perhaps his family had always had it wrong.

But just as soon as you had time to process this newfound revelation, the sad glint in his eye slipped away and was quickly replaced by his usual cold stare. "No" he whispered, "No I know what the Commonwealth needs". And just like that you lost him. You couldn't help but feel pride swell in your chest as he questioned himself and his family. You loved him, but there was a constant battle waging between your heart and mind. The former telling you he is everything. That despite losing Nate you can love another man whole heartedly and that is something worth fighting for. The latter, your rational mind, telling you that the man you love has done terrible, terrible things. You wanted Maxson so badly, but did you want the Brotherhood of Steel too? The truth being that the two are inseparable.

Looking directly into your eyes for the first time that evening he stated "It's late, sentinel". No calling you by your first name. No "my love" or "dear". In spite of the fact that this was your cue to return to your shared quarters, Arthur refrained from addressing you as anything more than a soldier. As the seconds went by you watched him retreat back into himself, pushing you away. He knew he was letting you down by not giving you what you wanted—a confession that he was wrong and would change, or leave everything behind. But he could not give you that, not tonight.